Family Values
by PagetPaulson
Summary: Death didn't mean an ending.


Emily wiped the tears from her cheeks as she heard the whining from the family dog in just the other room. Running her hands down her own arms, the brunette woman walked her way into the living room and stood beside her husband. "Sweetheart," she croaked, her eyes on the dog lying by the fireplace. "It's almost time to go."

The Italian man let his tears blur his vision as he ran his hand over his dog's spine. "I know."

"Clarice will be home any minute," his wife whispered, her hand on his shoulder. "We'll go right after that."

The black lab paid no attention to the man and woman standing over him, the man kneeling by his side and petting the top of his head. He was too tired to try and fight what was happening.

Emily sniffled as she knelt beside her husband and set a hand to the dog's warm fur. "It'll be over soon, Mudge. I'm so sorry."

They heard the front door swing open and their daughter's footsteps scampering over the expensive wood floors they owned. "Mommy!" the dark haired girl called, shutting the door and locking it before walking into the home. Her mother hadn't met her outside that day. "Mommy I got my spelling test back!"

Emily stood, wiping her eyes with her hands curled into fists before turning to meet her daughter in the kitchen. "Really?" She hugged her daughter to her front before taking her backpack from her. "What did you get?"

"Got it all right!" The seven year old grinned up to her mother and started for the living room. "I wanna show daddy!"

The brunette woman quickly took her daughter by the arm and plucked the test from her hands. "We can show daddy a little later, ok? We have to take a trip."

Clarice frowned, her head turning to see her father lifting the family dog into his arms and walking toward them. "Daddy where are we going?"

"We're going to take a ride with Mudgie, bellisima," he said, his voice rough. "Come on."

Emily held her daughter's hand and watched as the older man set their dog down on the backseat, covering him with a blanket. She sat beside the black lab with Clarice in her lap, buckling them both in as Dave drove off. "Sweetheart, we have to talk."

Clarice reached out to the family dog and slowly ran her hand over her head. "Mudgie looks tired."

The brown eyed woman met her husband's eyes in the rearview mirror. "He's very tired," she agreed. "We have to take Mudgie to the vet."

"Why? Is he sick?"

Emily wrapped her arms around the young girl's waist and set her cheek to her daughter's dark head of hair. "He's sick, baby. The doctor is going to help us make him better."

The seven year old pouted. "What's wrong?"

Emily bit hard into her bottom lip as she smoothed her hand over her daughter's dark hair. "He has cancer, baby."

"What's that?"

Dave cleared his throat, turning onto the main road with his hands clutching the steering wheel. "Cancer is a sickness, cara mia. Mudgie is in a lot of pain."

The news of her beloved pup being in pain had the seven year old fighting her mother's grasp, wanting to jump onto her dog and give him the biggest hug she could. "No! Why is he hurt?" The little girl cried as her mother tried to hold her back in the seat.

"Clarice stop that, the car is moving."

"Mudgie!"

Dave pulled the car into the vet's parking lot and took his daughter from her mother's lap. "Bella," he whispered, wiping the tears from her apple cheeks. "We can't do anything to help what's happening to Mudgie."

Clarice's doe eyes squinted as she cried. "Is he gonna die?"

"He won't be here with us anymore, princess."

Emily got herself out of the car just in time to see her daughter fling herself into the writer's arms, and she took the ends of her sleeves to wipe away her own tears.

Pushing his daughter gently toward her mother, Dave stood. "We have to go inside."

"No!"

The brunette woman picked her daughter up from the ground and hugged her tight, feeling Clarice's tears dripping down her neck. "We're bringing Mudgie in to see the doctor, ok?"

Clarice picked up her head and looked to her mother with red eyes. "Is he gonna fix him?"

"He's going to make sure Mudgie doesn't hurt anymore," Emily whispered back, her chest constricting as she watched her daughter cry. "Come on, baby."

The Italian man carried his beloved dog into the vet's office and straight into the examination room, setting Mudgie down on the table. "I know, boy," he nodded, petting his head. "It'll be ok."

Emily shook the doctor's hand. "Dr. Strong," she nodded. "Thank you so much."

Dr. Strong gave a sad smile to the couple. "I'm very sorry about Mudgie." He had treated the beloved black lab for a few small cases of fleas and had gotten him neutered, and now it was time to help the poor dog end his suffering.

Sitting down in the corner of the room, the brown eyed woman held her sniffling daughter close to her chest, helping her sit comfortably on her lap.

"Is this going to take long, doctor?"

Dr. Strong looked to the older man with a sad smile and shook his head. "Not more than a few minutes." Looking to the seven year old, the vet sat himself down and gave her a gentle smile. "How are you, Clarice?"

The seven year old gave a cry as she looked to their dog moaning in pain.

"He'll feel so much better afterwards, I promise."

Clarice buried her face into her mother's chest. "But he'll be dead!"

Dave knelt before his wife and daughter and set a hand to the little girl's knee. "Principessa," he whispered, "Mudgie has been in a lot of pain. You know when you don't feel good and you take medicine?" He waited for a nod from the seven year old. "This is just like that, Clarice."

The brunette woman pressed a small kiss to her daughter's forehead. "He'll remember you," she promised her daughter. "All those times you played with him? Remember wrestling in the backyard? He's going to remember all of that."

"Up in heaven?"

Emily met the eyes of her husband as she nodded. "Up in heaven, baby."

Clarice patted her hands against her cheeks and jumped from her mother's lap. Slowly stepping up to the table, she looked into her dog's big eyes and put her hand over his paw. "Love you."

Emily and Dave stood, their hands clasped, as they watched the doctor inject their dog. Clarice ran back to her mother and hid her face in her legs, using her pants as a tissue. "Mommy?"

"Yes baby?"

The seven year old looked up to the agent. "Can we have bread and butter when we get home?" That was what she would feed Mudgie under the table every chance she got.

Emily pursed her lips to stop her tears, her free hand running over the dying dog's head as she nodded. "Of course." Mudgie would always be a part of their family.


End file.
